Defense Undersecretary and PVAO Administrator Ernesto Carolina with the Baguio City officials led by Acting Mayor Faustino Olowan recognize the heroism of the World War II heroes during the 74th National Victory Day celebration at the Veterans Park in Baguio City on Tuesday, September 3. (RMC- PIA CAR)

TESDA at 25. TESDA - CAR Regional Director Manuel Wong and DTI Baguio - Benguet Director Freda Gawisan leads other partners from DOLE and Baguio PESO, in a Kapihan media forum, to promote the scheduled activities for TESDA's 25th Anniversary that will be highlighted by the

World class skilled Workers. PEZA Baguio deputy Zone Administrator Allan Datahan, in his keynote message at the TESDA - CAR 25 years anniversary awards and recognition program, affirms a continuing partnership with TESDA, not only in bringing work opportunity for Tech - Voc graduates inside the special economic zone but also in skills training to ensure that Filipino workforce will be globally competitive and responsive to the manpower needs of industries/investors. (Lito Dar/PIA CAR)

TESDA@25. Bartending students from the Baguio City School of Arts and Trade gives a demonstration on wine mixing during the TESDA - CAR led Kapihan media forum for the promotion of the scheduled activities for TESDA's 25th Anniversary that will be highlighted by the

Smoke Free Baguio. City Health Officials with partners and community stakeholders strengthens convergence for the attainment of the objectives of Baguio's Comprehensive Tobacco Control Ordinance through the first Smoke Free Baguio Convention at Venus Parkview Hotel, Tuesday. (Lito Dar/PIA CAR)

‘Not the Baguio we used to know’

BAGUIO CITY, Benguet, Philippines — Overdevelopment was the frequent lament of officials who promised to control tree cutting and construction of high-rise buildings during the city’s 110th Foundation Day celebration on Sunday.

“This is no longer the Baguio we used to know,” Rep. Marquez Go said, adding that the city has become a microcosm of how badly Filipinos have overused the country’s natural resources.

FIGHTING FOR SPACE Houses, commercial buildings and vehicles fight for every space in Baguio City as the country’s summer capital, originally designed for 25,000 residents, faces problems associated with over development. —EV ESPIRITUGo said the national forest cover was 80 percent of the country at the start of the 20th century when the American colonial government designed and built the summer capital. By 1999, forests covered only 18 percent of the country, he said.

The lawmaker’s concern was echoed by Sen. Panfilo Lacson, who said that Baguio mountains “are balding and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources cites the construction boom and urban sprawl as reasons for the decline of the city’s pine trees.”

Urban decay

But should his pet measure become a law, Lacson said the city government may access up to P300 million to fix its urban decay issues on top of the P150 million to which Baguio was entitled as its share from internal revenue allotments (IRA).

Lacson, who was guest at the Baguio Day program, was referring to a measure called the budget reform advocacy for village empowerment (BRAVE).

The measure seeks to allocate augmentation funds for provinces, towns, cities and villages that tap 20 percent of their IRA shares for development projects.

All local governments are entitled to a share of the IRA or taxes collected by the government.

Going by the 2018 budget, Baguio used P150.5 million of its local development fund out of its P752.6-million IRA share. But Lacson said the city would also be given an additional P150-P300 million in support funds if the BRAVE bill passed Congress. Go is filing the House counterpart bill this week.

Lacson said he was no stranger to Baguio having lived here for four years as a cadet of the Philippine Military Academy. He said he commiserated with residents who complained that Baguio population ballooned during daytime.

Bleaker picture

“Tourism brought significant changes” to Baguio, Lacson said, as visitors “flock here during holidays, even during the weekends leaving behind their waste.”

Baguio drew 1.5 million visitors in 2017 and 1.8 million last year.

While tourism boosts the economy, the picture for Baguio becomes bleaker when “pine trees die by the day,” Lacson said.

“You need to regain and nurture your home,” he said.

Go said the city government would organize several technical working groups to address not only Baguio’s reduced tree population of 2.5 million but also human activities that affected the environment, such as the growing waste generated by its 350,000 residents.

Chartered in 1909, Baguio was originally designed for 25,000 people by Chicago architect Daniel Burnham. Destroyed in 1945 at the end of World War II and in 1990 after the Luzon earthquake, Baguio residents and investors restored the city, Go said.

“Development is inevitable. We build more roads, expand sewers, improve communication, but all these activities have environmental consequences,” he said.

“We are beyond the original design of Burnham … We generate more waste, spend more water, more electricity and use more fossil fuel,” Go added.

MAASIN CITY, Sept. 13 (PIA) -- More than 3,000 crown-of-thorns (COTs), specie of starfish, were seen in the waters of Malitbog town alone according to Aileen Estrera, member of the province’s Sangguniang Panlalawigan, citing a recent survey conducted by the Southern Leyte State University (SLSU).

SURIGAO CITY, Surigao del Norte, Sept. 13 (PIA) -- The institutions and individuals who displayed excellence in the performance and delivery of services for the Surigaonons received an award during the 30th Rotary Outstanding Surigaonon Awards (ROSA) ceremony held here recently.

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga, Sept. 6 (PIA) -- Civil Service Commission (CSC) OIC-Regional Director Rosalinda Tanalaga-Oliva highlighted the significant changes in the Philippine Civil Service over the past century.

BAGUIO CITY, Sept. 12 (PIA) - - Ranking officials reiterated the government’s call for the active participation of all sectors of society in ensuring good governance, accountability and transparency programs and policies in bringing inclusive growth and progress to the country and to the people.

BAGUIO CITY, Sept. 13 (PIA) -- Two young professionals from this city are among the 27 youth leaders from across the country selected as Philippine Ambassadors of Goodwill for the 46th Ship for Southeast Asian and Japanese Youth Program (SSEAYP).

BAGUIO CITY, Sept. 13 (PIA) - - Accounting of water resources in the Cordillera Administrative Region(CAR) is set into motion with the Philippine Statistics Authority regional office (PSA) convening a joint meeting – workshop of the Task Force Water Resource Accounting and the Technical Working Group on Environment Statistics .

Benguet

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet, Sept. 12(PIA) -- The Department of Education – Cordillera has directed all public and private schools in the region to conduct activities to commemorate the 1986 Mount Data “Sipat” or Peace Accord every September 13.

ITOGON, Benguet, Sept. 13 (PIA) -- The municipal government of Itogon will conduct rituals to commemorate the first year anniversary of the tragic landslide that hit the province of Benguet and this town at the height of typhoon Ompong last year.

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet, Sept. 13 (PIA) - - The Provincial Rabies Control Consultative Committee gathered various stakeholders for a consultative meeting to bolster programs and activities for the prevention, control and the ultimate eradication of rabies in the province.

Mt. Province

BONTOC, Mountain Province, Aug. 31(PIA) -- Sangguniang Kabataan(SK) members in the province celebrated the Linggo ng Kabataan with various activities actively participated by out-of-school youth, in-school youth and working youth of the different municipalities in the province.

BONTOC, Mountain Province – The House of Representatives approved on first reading a proposed bill seeking for the termination of the collection of toll fees along the portion of the Benguet road, popularly known as Kennon road, from Klondykes Spring to Camp 6, repealing for the purpose Executive Order No. 34, series of 1954 as amended.

BONTOC, Mountain Province, Aug. 6(PIA) -- To raise community awareness and to inculcate health and nutrition habits for children at an early age for healthy living, the provincial government conducted Healthy Mother and Child and cooking contests in celebration of this year’s Nutrition Month.

BONTOC, Mountain Province, July 22 (PIA) -- The Provincial Livelihood Program (PLP) of the Provincial Government here continues to provide livelihood assistance to qualified individuals in the province.

LAGAWE, Ifugao, Aug. 15 (PIA) - - In line with the goal to eliminate human rabies by the year 2020, the support of Barangay Nutrition Scholars (BNS) and Barangay Health Workers (BHWs) as frontline workers in the communities is being tapped.